Wireless communication devices include communication capabilities to access a multitude of services through different connections including voice, video, and data connections over a variety of wireless networks, including in some cases cellular wireless networks, wireless local area networks, and wireless personal area networks. Applications on a wireless communication device can establish and delete data flows for communication with remote services through various connections via one or more different wireless networks. Wireless circuitry, such as baseband processors and associated transmit and receive signal chains, can consume different amounts of power based on different settings to support communication for the various data flows for the applications. When transmission or reception of a set of data packets for one or more data flows associated with one or more applications completes, the wireless circuitry can remain in a powered state for a period of time in anticipation of additional data communication for the data flows before transitioning to a lower power state after a period of data inactivity. With limited knowledge of the particular underlying applications and/or associated software processes that generate and consume data for the data flows and their associated data traffic pattern characteristics, the wireless circuitry can be hindered in estimating future data communication requirements and can remain powered longer than necessary. Alternatively, should the wireless circuitry respond rapidly by removing connections as soon as data packet transmission or reception completes, the wireless communication device may re-establish connections soon thereafter when further data packets are available to transfer, thereby adding to signaling overhead for the wireless networks.